Stories

Smarthinking tutoring system now available to all students

Submitted on April 18, 2011 at 9:11 AM

The Smarthinking tutoring system is a new way for Vol State students to get help with homework and assignments and it's available 24 hours a day and seven days a week in many cases. Smarthinking is an online tutoring service that Vol State started using in a few courses last year and has just expanded to the entire campus. Smarthinking provides tutoring in mathematics (basic math through calculus, including bilingual math), biology, A & P, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, economics, accounting, finance, statistics, Spanish, and writing.

Study results from Vol State classes show that it may help students do better in coursework. Students say they like the service, calling it "easy to use" and "helpful." While the study didn't necessarily show improvements in individual assignments, students in the study group who used Smarthinking had increased odds for success in the course. Faculty surveys show that instructors also value the system and plan to recommend it to students.

Smarthinking is run by a private company, which Vol State contracts with for the service. It is being used by colleges and universities across the country. There is one warning though: everyone is advised that the proper e-mail address to use the system is:

It's important that you use only one "T" in the address. Using two "T"s will take you to a site that has questionable motives and may try to charge for tutoring services. Smarthinking is free for Vol State students- they only need a Vol State e-mail address and their V-number to log-in.

For more information on how to get started visit the Vol State Smarthinking web page:

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